Deluxe Room | Balcony

Reviews of FCC Phnom Penh Boutique Hotel

3 out of 5
FCC Phnom Penh Boutique Hotel
363 Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh

Reviews

7.6

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 22 out of 81 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 32 out of 81 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 18 out of 81 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 6 out of 81 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 81 reviews" "

7.6/10

Cleanliness

7.6/10

Staff & service

7.0/10

Amenities

7.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Charmaine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous hotel
Fabulous hotel. Second stay. Huge rooms with fantastic balcony. Food is excellent too... Really loved it and will wholly recommend it to everyone.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Elizabeth

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2019
Response from FCC Management and Staffs on Jul 4, 2019
Dear Elizabeth, Thank you very much for your support and look forward to welcoming you back. Best,

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Fantastic sense of history. Great location and our room on the 1st floor with a balcony overlooking the Ton Le Sap river might have been a dream. The pub and the street are a bit noisy at night but a good pair of earplugs fixed that.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Lyne on Jun 21, 2019
thank you very much

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely hotel full of character.
Very helpful staff. Good breakfast specially made for each person. Area is interesting and able to walk to many places. We have been here before so more of a laid back trip. Only drawback was the noise from the restaurants across the street.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Lyne on Jul 4, 2019
thank you so much !

8/10 Good

Gary and Linda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Historic Hotel. Very Noisy.
We stayed in the FCC Hotel’s Kbal Spean room for 3 nights, directly below the FCC Restaurant. A comer room with a king size bed and private balcony facing the river. Its really a cool place to stay but, the noise from the street and the nightclub across the street are both deafening. Neither source of noise is the fault of the FCC Hotel, the hotel was there first. If you plan to stay here, you better bring earplugs. We travel with earplugs all the time, it’s always a disappointment when we have to use them. We ate breakfast there 2 mornings, Breakfast starts at 6:30 am Unfortunately, the day we left our taxi was booked for 6am. We did get a couple of bottles of water and a juice, but the only option for take away from the FCC Hotel was bread and croissants. We asked at the front desk if we might get some dry cereal and milk for the morning we checked out but that was not possible. We went the the restaurant down the street the night before and ordered take out mango sticky rice. We ate that in our room with instant coffee before we left. The location of the FCC Hotel is excellent for local sight seeing. We did use a taxi for our trip to the killing fields and S-21 museum. We walked to the Royal Palace and the National Museum of Cambodia both within 10 minutes of the hotel. We walked to the night market and several very nice restaurants nearby while we stayed in Phnom Penh. A number of boats provide an inexpensive sunset river tour which lasts around an hour.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2019

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Business traveler, Traveled with partner
Disliked: Staff & service
FCC has some good points, but also some terrible ones. In short, the rooms facing 178 street are appallingly noisy and are accessed from an external stairway opposite five floors of Bars an Karaoke, where deafeningly loud music make occupation between 8pm and midnight unpleasant. We were moved to a better, quieter room at the front with traffic noise, but it is on a busy road, and is to be expected. It also has better security being in the main building. There is a staff training issue.: when our room was cleaned, the bed was made, but the bins weren't emptied - which means the floor can't have been swept, the tea and coffee weren't replenished, and cups weren't cleaned. Breakfast in the restaurant is supposed to start at 6am, but at 7 the place was still being mopped. We sat for 10 minutes as 4 staff ignored us before one brought the menu. When the coffee was prepared, it was placed on the bar and a bel rung, which the waiting on staff ignored. Only after I got the tray myself, did the staff come to help. I could go on about the shower only delivering either cold or boiling hot water, without a bearably safe option, or the bed being set against a pilar so pillows fall down a gap. Let's just say the this has great potential, but needs a new manager, staff training, and the rooms facing 178 being used as offices as they aren't suitable as bedrooms. The hotel is in a prime location, on the riverfront, with loads o places to eat and shop nearby, but could be better.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019

6/10 Okay

Brian

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Hotel needs modernising..Old furnishings. Old shower /bath. Bar prices excessive for the area. Over priced accommodation with few facilities. Living on its old reputation.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018

6/10 Okay

Thomas

Disliked: Staff & service
Great location
Indifferent young guy at front desk—couldn’t be bothered for anything. Good food but just OK service in restaurant. Great location.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018

8/10 Good

Joseph

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Foreign Correspondents Club was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
My stay was SPECTACULAR. Particularly the service by Sophors at the Front Desk. Also the girls up in the restaurant were really kind and work very hard.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Atmospheric hotel with real history
Great experience and central location. Can imagine it’s role in the Cambodian conflict. Staff were good and were very happy for us to move rooms,. But facilities were limited.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2018
Response from Linda on Jun 20, 2018
Thank you for your feedback. We are happy to hear that you had a great experience with us. We may have major renovation next year and the facilities will be upgraded. Look forward to welcoming you back.

10/10 Excellent

William

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Pleasant stay.
Very central location. Premises could be better identified as taxi had difficulty in finding. Even a local visitor could not locate.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service
Higher noise levels from the street than I had expected (at all times of night!) but still fun to stay in such a historic property.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

8/10 Good

Caitlin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfy, convenient, some noise.
FCC Phnom Penh was a lovely stay. The Air Conditioning worked well, the bed was comfy, and bathroom was clean. Its location is a bit of a double-edged sword: convenient to many bars and restaurants, one bar across the street will have karaoke til late in the night. Located on a busy road, rooms facing the street will not block out ALL the traffic noise. I can sleep through anything, but if you are a light sleeper, try requesting a room away from the main drag. Made-to-order breakfast was to die for, and the cocktails were creative and well-made. Staff were polite, present, responsive, and honest. I felt that they genuinely wished for me to have a pleasant stay in their hotel & in Phnom Penh I would stay here again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We got the best room
We asked for the room with a balcony, it was very pleasant to sit there at dawn. And the bathroom was really big, so it was very enjoyable. Definitely historic and romantic place.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2018

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
An institution losing its charm
Certainly would not return to this place again! What a pity with such good location and historical context but the hotel room, foods and services are not up to the par. I stayed 4 nights here but having to move from room to room 3 times! Due to most room whether facing river or National Museum were too noisy. You either have to deal with the constant traffic noises with the one facing river or thought moving to the room back of the building would be a better idea and quieter with National Museum's view but nightmare happened when each evening the restaurant begin busy in the evening with non stop noises, from table dragging or pool table ball dropping on the floor non stop... imaging all this just happened just above your bed!
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2017
Response from FCC Phnom Penh Managment on Jan 9, 2018
Dear sir/madam, Thank you for you leaving us the feedback for improvement. We are sorry that you were disturbed by the noises as we are old building and the construction lasts from many years ago. However, we will have renovation soon in the future and it is already in our plan to make sound proof rooms. Related to the prices, we are not sure which restaurant you compare us with. Our prices are in the middle ranks of the restaurants in Phnom Penh as per our survey. About the service during our busy period, it might upset few of guests. We are from time to time improving this. Hope to see you again at our restaurant and/or to stay with us again after our renovation. Best regards,

6/10 Okay

Betty

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The FCC needs some updating and cleaning. The breakfast was only ok but the food at night in the resturant was better. Happy hour drinks were watered down. This place gets more hype that it deserves. We did see two journalists working out of bar area one morning
Stayed 6 nights in Nov 2017
Response from FCC Phnom Penh Management on Jan 9, 2018
Dear Betty, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry that you are not very satisfied. As you know we are old building, somehow it doesn't look as clean as the new design/building plus we are open-air. We hope you understand this. Happy hour drinks, if you referred to the cocktails, we can adjust the flavor for you on spot. Beer and wine, we always selected trusted companies in town. Look forward to welcoming you again and serve you better. Best,

8/10 Good

Jane

Liked: Staff & service
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Ade, Dorset UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Central hotel with western feel, right on the dock
The FCC Phnom Penh is a central hotel, just a few hundred meters down from the dock where tourist boats from Vietnam moor. It caters for westerners and the prices are what we are used to, but head just around the corner and you can find food and drink at local prices. I would recommend the FCC as a no-surprises quality hotel in a city otherwise full of surprises to those who aren't used to it.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2017

2/10 Terrible

Philip

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very misleading photos and description.
We looked at the room, it was not the one we booked. The bathroom was dirty as was the hotel passage way. The reception comprised a table and chair manned by what appeared to be a 16 or 17 year old lad who knew no English. The room and view were nothing like the photos. The bar and restaurant were unkempt. We left without checking in and notified the booking agent that day. Never again. Over priced and should be classified as a budget hotel.
Stayed 5 nights in May 2017

10/10 Excellent

Clyde, Bangkok

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A Unique Space
Staying at the FCC was almost like walking into the set of the movie, Casablanca. The room​ was spacious and well maintained. The service levels from check in, cleaning, and restaurant staff were excellent and friendly. If you are adverse to walking up steps, you want to consider staying elsewhere. The hotel is well located for cultural sites, dining, shopping, and nightlife . I look forward to staying here again.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Good location ,heaps of atmosphere lovely staff.
Everything god but we did nit get our passports back when we checked in. It was only when we woke up at 4am in the morning of our second day that we remembered we hadnt got them back. A very worrying 8 hours later we got them back after being yold they had beenput in some one else's room.All turned out OK but was a potential disaster if other people had checked out first and not checked their passports.Be aware.That apart it was a very nice stay with great breakfasts and atmospheric colonial style decor which is forgivably shabby . We were there for Valentines Day and they gave us 2 lovely roses and a little box of chocs .Very sweet

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service
FCC Phnom-Penh
bedroom was comfortable but bathroom could do with some renovation work

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
top spot
Very convenient location, and lovely staff. We were given a back room away from the street noise. The food and drinks upstairs were of a high standard

8/10 Good

Susan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Iconic hotel
The history of the hotel is quite amazing. Great to stay in such an icon!

8/10 Good

marc

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

6/10 Okay

Dean

Overpriced
The room was very over priced for what it was

2/10 Terrible

David

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
+5 and -1 star experiences
A quick scan of radically contrasting reviews for the FCC seem to indicate experiences at two entirely different hotels and indeed this is the case. Last year I had a +5 star stay in one of the truly lovely riverfront facing rooms and gave a well earned rave review, this week a -1 star stay in a room on the side street. The problem seems to be that both rooms are classified as "deluxe" with the corresponding surcharge and it is just a matter of luck which you will get. Both rooms were well designed, handsome, atmospheric although stressed with deeply cracked terrazzo and decayed wood surfaces. Previous room had intimate private terrace overlooking the river, recent room faced five full floors of open air restaurant/bars all with competing amplified entertainments, one extending past 4:00am. New room also accessed by a separate isolated staircase, unlighted by staff with the light switch located at the top and on two nights inhabited by a lonely sleeping body. While excellent breakfasts are delivered to rooms, the menu request in the side room was not picked up from the designated door hook. Riverfront rooms fabulous, side street rooms hellish, same price for both.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Charming old building, beautiful room with balcony
The FCC is a beautiful colonial building and it's worth staying in one of the very nice balcony rooms. Room is charming and very well decorated. Breakfast is good and breakfast room is very nice. Only the recorded piano music is a bit repetitive. The bathroom could be improved: the shower is uncomfortable as there should also be a hand shower. There was smoke smell in the bathroom too, which was not pleasant. There is construction next door, so also a bit of noise.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hotel on river
The hotel is right on the river, our room was large size with a balcony and a great view. The hotel has a fantastic restaurant and the staff were very helpful.

2/10 Terrible

GC, DC

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
What you see you do not get
It looked good on the Expedia website, shiny wooden floors, big windows and a view of the river. We were taken to a room up a back staircase. The staircase was the entrance directly from the street, excessively dirty. Once inside the room, the dirt continued. Dirty bed covers, carpets, unfixed curtains. We walked out as it was unacceptable. They did offer us another room, but by then the experience was so negative, we left. I know that I have a small chance, if any, for a refund as between Expedia and past experience of how difficult they make it for members to get refunded, and being told the same by the hotel. Well, a bad experience indeed.
The view
The bed cover
The carpet
The entrance from the street

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
would not leaving anything of value in room, even in the safe box in the room.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

David, Ubud, Bali

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Sizzling difficult city, cool pleasant hotel
The FCC is a popular almost iconic destination for tourists to Phnom Penh perhaps aided by a plethora of guidebook recommendations even though it's faux historical gritty persona is certainly by more recent design. The cracked and patched terazzo walls, the uneven undulating hardwood floors, the claustrophobic hallways with dark wooden paneling, the lonely four legged reception desk sitting exposed at the top of the stairwell all overlay a sophisticated contemporary room design, although slightly ratty now with a genuine tropical patina. Hotel staff was pleasant but not especially welcoming or helpful which is understandable since there are only eight rooms which I imagine couldn't support more experienced personnel. Language was a slight problem. Overall my seven day stay was a delight with the facilities providing an essential retreat from the dry season extraordinary heat. The room was quite large and comfortable, a/c sufficient, oversized bathroom tub and lovely terrace with (not quite strong enough) ceiling fan directly overlooking the junction of the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers. Sisowat Quay, one of the most active roads in the city which runs along the river walkway lies just a couple of meters below which although unavoidably noisy provides an endless panoramic entertainment.

10/10 Excellent

Allyson, Louisville KY

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
On the riverfront.
I arrived early from the overnight bus from Siem Reap and my room was ready by 6am. You can request the free breakfast delivered to your room. Two free bottles of water in the room each day, which you will need.

8/10 Good

molly

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Yan, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Great location; decent room.
Great location facing the river and a couple of blocks away from the Royal Palace. Reception is like that of a hostel: no street presence or lobby area, just up a flight of steps from the busy street and check in at a shabby desk. But the room was surprisingly large, and comfortable enough for a short stay. The upstairs bar/cafe is lively in the evening and pleasant for breakfast.

8/10 Good

Genevieve , Toronto

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Historical setting.
The rooms are clean, and well appointed, albeit a tad small. The real attraction here is its historical significance if you will and the terrace. It's got a GREAT terrace on the 2nd and 3rd floor which offers a fantastic view of the river. Breakfast is fantastic. But otherwise the food here is not worth the money. Drinks are relatively expensive but a 5 to 7 happy hour makes it affordable and well worth it. We loved staying here but truthfully it was quite expensive for the value. You could book a more affordable room and simply visit the bar and enjoy it just as much.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
location is great!
But staff are not very helpful in Cambodia standard.

4/10 Poor

Jason, Chicago

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The Horror. The Horror.
I love these old hotels in Southeast Asia. I am all about the history and I am not that picky about standards. The Continental Hotel in Saigon was fun. The Majestic Hotel in Saigon was majestic. All I want from these places is 3 Star quality and a cool experience. Also I had a connection to the FCC because I was here in 1997. But sadly, the FCC was a dump. Had I seen the place in advance of booking, I would not have stayed. I had the Director's Apartment and was actually shocked at the standard: shower/bath had visible scum/mold on tiles; no hot water; toilet seat broken and ill-fitted to basin; tiles broken on floor; dust/dirt everywhere and the place has never seen a vacuum cleaner; walls filthy; internet abysmal (apparently the "Director" is not internet-savvy); the place was simply un-secure! (rear window did not lock! I had to argue with the staff who insisted no Cambodian would think to climb up to the easily-accessed second story and slide the unlock-able window open and enter; the room safe did not work correctly and they were unable to replace it); service was grudging and bluntly unprofessional, even gangster-like; I refused to let cleaning staff in when I was not there. From reviews I read of other rooms, they are nicer, but the Director's Apartment was horrible. Bottom line: If you want the ambiance and history of the FCC, make a trip to the bar and forget the hotel.

10/10 Excellent

K, Darwin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great historic place to lay your head
Great rooms, great location, great food, great drinks, great decor, great atmosphere

8/10 Good

janette

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

cathy, SF, CA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
great place
great location, clean, air condition and upstairs bar fantastic.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice hotel, very convenient location
Very nice hotel, very convenient location

10/10 Excellent

Annie, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stay!
Very nice in every way. Loved the view of the river and right next to the palace.

6/10 Okay

regular travell, Perth

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
FCC hotel, Phnom Penh
The hotel room was nice but it is very close the main road and the other tourist activity aread. Whilst the bed and the room was comfortable, the room is far too noisy for a normal habitation. The noise from The streets comes straight through the windows. The room was large and the bath was large. They were also reasonable quality.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Troy, Phnom Penh

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
No better place to land in PP
Central, clean, incredibly friendly, every tuk-tuk driver knows it (which is a blessing) and the absolute best place to have an afternoon cocktail.

10/10 Excellent

Richard, Tapitallee NSW

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel, great location.
Despite reading negative reviews this was a great stay. Some people just whinge at anything. The room was great, the FCC bar and restaurant was fantastic! I great oasis in I busy tough city.